Are students losing their ability to self-regulate? Is "self-regulation" another word for obedience? What about the debate on willpower and that hard-to-define concept du jour, "grit"? This piece on the “academic diligence task” raises complex questions.

In this related article, Waldorf math teacher Lisa Babinet highlights the importance of not only preparing students academically but also "preparing the students for a life of well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving". This is the gift of Waldorf® Education.

We are celebrating Screen-Free Week by staying off Facebook, Twitter, and our blog, and interacting with screens only as needed for work. Visit the Screen-Free Week website or read this article for inspiration.

April 29, 7:30pm in the Arts Building Music Room, free and open to the public:

The Gift of a Commercial-Free Childhood, with Dr. Susan Linn, a sought-after speaker, co-founder and director of The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), and an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

As we prepare for winter break and time with family, let's consider this opinion piece by Dr. Sherry Turkle of MIT, from The New York Times.

One of the best quotes: "It is not too late to reclaim our composure. I see the most hope in young people who have grown up with this technology and begin to see its cost. They respond when adults provide them with sacred spaces (the kitchen, the family room, the car) as device-free zones to reclaim conversation and self-reflection."